Apparatus controlling the relaxation and elongation of the spine

ABSTRACT

AN APPRATUS FOR ELONGATING THE RELAXING A PATIENT&#39;&#39;S SPINE WHEREIN THE PATIENT&#39;&#39;S HEAD IS CARRIED PERIPHERALLY, SO AS TO ENSURE COMFORT, BY A BLOCK INCLUDING A COAT OF YIELDING MATERIAL AND ENGAGING THE NAPE AND SIDES OF THE PATIENT&#39;&#39;S NECK AND BY A CHIN STRAP SECURED TO THE BLOCK BY LATERAL TELESCOPIC TUBES. THE ELONGATING OPERATION IS ENSURED BY A LEVERL PIVOTALLY SECURED TO THE UPRIGHT ALONG WHICH THE BLOCK IS ADAPTED TO SLIDE SO AS TO EXERT A VERTICAL STRESS ON THE HEAD SUPPORT CONSTITUTED BY THE BLOCK AND CHIN STRAP.

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Nov. 23, 1971 Filed Dec. 12, 1969 Nov. 23, 1971 p BARTHE 3,621,839

APPARATUS CONTROLLING THE RELAXATION AND ELONGATION OF THE SPINE Filed Dec. 12, 1969 2 Shcet:.;Shee+. 2

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United States Patent Oflice 3,621,839 APPARATUS CONTROLLING THE RELAXATION AND ELONGATION OF THE SPINE Henri P. Barthe, Villa Princesse Pauline, Bd. Reine Jeanne, 06 Grasse, France Filed Dec. 12, 1969, Ser. No. 884,607 Claims priority, application France, Oct. 14, 1969, 6935778 Int. Cl. A61h 1/ 02 US. Cl. 128-75 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE My invention has for its object an apparatus controlling the elongation or mere relaxation of the vertebrae. Said apparatus is simple and inexpensive while its bulk and weight are reduced so that it may be readily conveyed, shipped and fitted for use by the patient.

Elongating tables are already known which form however actual machines ofa more or less intricate structure so that they are bulky and expensive and can be used only in hospitals, nursing homes or by kinesitherapeutists, whereby they distinguish fully from the object of my invention which is intended for individual use. Simpler apparatus adapted to work chiefly in a vertical position and wherein a traction is exerted by a lever pivotally secured to a stationary point and operated by the patient acting on himself have already been proposed and even executed, but the apparatus of such a type show numerous drawbacks and in particular the head of the patient is held by a mere yielding strap, this being a defective arrangement which can be found also in the known elongating tables. The patients head is thus not accurately positioned with reference to the direction of the traction exerted on the spine, chiefly in the case of a treatment executed in a vertical direction, and this may set the vertebrae in relative positions which are wrong and even dangerous.

In contradistinction, in my improved apparatus, the head is held rigidly in an axial position and guided in a manner such that the traction may be exerted in alignment with the spine, which cuts out any danger of a lateral shifting of the vertebrae while the movement of the accurately positioned head is a pure translational movement.

To this end, the patients head is carried by a member of molded material surrounding the patients nape end extending along the rear and sides of the head over a predetermined height while a chin strap made also preferably of molded material holds the chin' and lower maxillary in position, said chin strap being adjustable with reference to the nape; both parts, the nape-engaging member and the chin strap are coated by a thick layer of rubber non-skid sponge material or any other non-skid elastic material. The entire head-supporting system is fitted on an upright along which it may slide vertically, said upright carrying the pivotal axis for the tractionexerti-ng member; a scale carried by said upright allows measuring the elongation obtained.

Furthermore, the traction-exerting member, preferably a mere lever adapted to be operated by the actual patient,

Patented Nov. 23, 1971 may be locked in any one of a series of positions defined by the scale in a manner such that it is possible to retain a constant value for the tractional stress exerted on the spine throughout the time required for each operation whereby it is possible to execute a gradual treatment through a succession of stages, the possible elongation being limited during each stage.

The apparatus is intended chiefly for treating a standing patient. The upright is then secured to or merely set against a wall so that the patient may stand on the ground with his back against the upright, the value of the elongating stress remaining always of necessity less than the weight of the patients body and being furthermore preferably limited each time by a stationary stop arresting the movement of the lever exerting a tractional stress.

The apparatus according to my invention may however be used for the treatment of recumbent patients, in which case the upright lying on the ground should be provided with attachments for the feet in a conventional manner or else the patients heels may be secured by a molded member and yielding straps.

The upright may carry a scale and the head-engaging support is then provided with a reference mark so as to provide a reading giving out the elongation obtained.

I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of my invention. In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of the head-engaging support or block extending round the neck, said support being shown with a portion of the upright along which it is guided, the patients head being illustrated as operatively held by said support.

FIG. 2 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 1, but without the patients head.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the complete apparatus in one embodiment thereof showing by way of a mere exemplification the means executing an upward traction on the head support.

The chief feature of my invention consists in that the head support is constituted by a block 1 molded over the nape of a person and carrying a thick coat of anti-skid elastic material and by a chin-strap 2 connected with the block 1 by two lateral bars 3, the whole arrangement being carried slidingly by a flat upright 4 provided at a point within reach of the patients hand with means for exerting an upward tractional stress. In the example illustrated the block 1 is secured through its rear surface to a metal plate 5 provided with means allowing it to slide along the upright 4 and carrying the lateral bars connecting the block with the chin-strap, which bars provide means for an adjustment of the spacing between the chin-strap and the block 1; to this end the rectilinear tubular bars 3 rigid with the plate 5 and block 1 carry telescopically two further tubular bars 3' connected to the front by an incurved transverse member 6 carrying the chin-strap 2, while clamping screws 7 are adapted to secure the tubes 3 and 3' together in the desired adjusted relation position to either side of the arrangement.

The patients head being thus held by a sort of mold, the tractional stress is distributed over a larger surface so that the patient is subjected to said stress without any painful tightening of any part of the patients body and more particularly of his throat, as occurs in all elongation apparatus existing or proposed hitherto, my improved apparatus providing thus a perfect comfort for the patient.

FIG. 3 shows by way of example means for exerting a tractional stress as provided by a lever 9 pivotally secured to the upper end of the upright 4, which allows the lever to be set in predetermined positions distributed stepwise and corresponding to gradually increasing tractional stresses exerted during a more or less long time. To this end the lever 9 is pivotally secured to a lateral extension 4' of the upright as shown at 8 said lever carrying a toothed sector 9' meshing with a rack 5' (FIG. 3) rigid with the plate 5. The sector 9' carries a radially sliding bolt 10 cooperating through its tip with a notched arcuate sector 11 rigid with the upright so as to lock the head support through a snap action in any of a number of allowable positions.

It the patient wishes to cut out the tractional stress which is being exerted he merely has to act on the handle 12 pivotally carried by the lever so as to compress the spring 13 whereby the cable 14 controlled by said handle draws back the bolt 10 and releases it with reference to the sector 11. It is possible furthermore to provide abutments adapted to be secured at spaced points along the upright so as to limit the traction-exerting stroke of the lever and consequently the elongating stress produced by the lowering of the lever 9.

Obviously equivalent means may replace the components of the structure disclosed without widening thereby the scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for elongating and relaxing a patients spine, comprising a rear molded block adapted to engage the nape and sides of the neck of the patient, a chin strap, yielding coats for said block and chin strap, lateral telescopic tubular bars securing the chin strap to the block with an adjustable longitudinal spacing therebetween, an upright, a plate rigid with the rear of the block and vertically slidingly engaging the upright, and means carried by the upright within reach of the patients hand and controlling the vertical location of the block along the upright.

2. An apparatus for elongating and relaxing a patients spine, comprising a rear molded block adapted to engage the nape and sides of the neck of the patient, a chin strap, yielding coats for said block and chin strap, means securing the chin strap to the block with an adjustable longitudinal spacing therebetween, an upright carrying the block in a vertically sliding relationship and means carried by the upright within reach of the patients hand and controlling the vertical location of the block along the upright, the last-named means comprising a lever pivotally secured to the upright and provided with an arcuate series of teeth, a rack carried by the upright and meshing with said series of teeth, a bolt, an arcuate series of teeth carried by the upright concentrically with reference to the pivotal point of the lever and normally engaged by the bolt, and means pivotally carried by the lever and adapted to release the bolt out of teeth on the upright.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,356,365 10/1920 Hosmer 128-75 738,283 9/1903 Blomqvist 128-69 2,851,031 9/1958 Ciampa 128-75 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,371,332 1964 France 128-75 1,243,327 1967 Germany 128-75 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner J. YASKO, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 128-69, 84 

